Govt will win Budget vote with ease - Minister Maithripala Sirisena

RAFIK JALALDEEN

The Government will pass the budget with a majority of votes at its Third Reading despite Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe's attempts to weaken the Government in Parliament, SLFP General Secretary Minister Maithripala Sirisena said.

Minister Sirisena said that Opposition Leader Wickremesinghe had failed every step of the way to topple the Government. "Wickremesinghe is misleading the public in his campaign to topple the Government," he added.

Minister Sirisena pointing to the Opposition Leader's campaign against the Government and President Mahinda Rajapaksa, said Wickremesinghe should learn how to speak in public and act as a responsible leader.

"Wickremesinghe in his new campaign has inserted an advertisement saying that the youth should be given wings to fly and the Government had not granted enough opportunities to the youth."

He said during Wickremesinghe's time the youth were badly treated and President Rajapaksa had provided many job opportunities to the youth under his Mahinda Chinthana programme.

He charged the Opposition Leader was trying to entice some Government MPs to the UNP before the Third Rearing vote of the budget.

"Wickremesinghe's efforts to shift the Government MPs to the UNP will not materialise. Instead we believe more UNP MP's will cross over to the Government before and on the day of the vote. It will be passed with a majority on December 14 as happened on November 19," Minister Sirisena said.

Minister Sirisena reiterated that while the Government was strengthening national security and developing the country, the UNP was trying to weaken the development programmes. The LTTE was using this opportunity to weaken the Government. It is clear that UNP was supporting the LTTE indirectly.

The Government will not let up on its development drive. "Some other Opposition MPs were accusing the Government of using the conflict as a tool to remain in power. This is not true and we won't halt our development work," he added.

He said university students should act with responsibility and adopt a culture of learning. "University students should develop their morality, attitudes and culture of learning. Not a single university in Sri Lanka is among the top 400 Universities in the world," Higher Education Minister Professor Wishwa Warnapala said.